Cleaning and laundry products are well-known in the art. However, consumer acceptance of cleaning and laundry products is determined not only by the performance achieved with these products but also the aesthetics associated therewith. The perfume components are therefore an important aspect of the successful formulation of such commercial products.
Accordingly, formulation of compounds which provide a delayed release of the perfume over a longer period of time than by the use of the perfume itself have been provided. Disclosure of such compounds may be found in WO 95/04809, WO 95/08976 and pending application EP 95303762.9. The latter describes betaine ester compounds of perfume alcohols which provide release of the perfume components over a long period of time.
The Applicant has now found that polymers containing one or more nitrogen atoms to which an ester function is linked, so as to provide an N-polymeric betaine ester and/or amino ester of an active alcohol, also provide a delayed release of the active alcohol such as a perfume.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the polymeric group provides sufficient stabilisation of the ester function so that the release of the active alcohol upon storage in product is limited, without hindering the release of the active alcohol upon use of the product.